Boko Haram is now operating at a different level

Thursday, June 5, 2014

My good friends, the strategies being used by Boko Haram to destroy limb and property in Nigeria are more than “dangerously innovative”. They are scary to the extent that they cannot be predicted; but their devastating impact can be.

Three main strategies are now known:

1.         Open and brazen attacks on people (mostly unarmed defenceless civilians or military targets, depending on where they choose to operate) and infrastructure (buildings in villages, public transport, as happened near Abuja, and military installations);

2.         Retaliatory attacks, as happened in one of the villages where the civilian vigilantes took the fight to the Boko Haram bandits who had earlier attacked their village, forcing the bandits to retreat. But they returned later and called out to the vigilantes to gather for a religious event only to surround them and mow them down; and

3.         Preaching of sermons to attract listeners only to mow them down in cold blood.

Here is how the BBC has reported the latest incident:

“Suspected Boko Haram militants have launched an attack in a village near the north-eastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri, killing about 45 people.

Survivors told the BBC the attackers said they had come to preach, before opening fire on a crowd that gathered”. (Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-27716898)

MY COMMENTS

The modus operandi of this terrorist group indicate the impunity with which it is perpetrating its brand of terrorism in Nigeria. Calling up innocent citizens to hear the word of God only to mow them down in broad daylight is despicable.

There is good reason to guess how this terrorist group wants to destabilize Nigeria, concentrating attention on the North but gradually making its presence felt in other parts of the country. Too bad.

Meantime, nothing concrete has so far emerged in terms of efforts to locate the over 200 school girls kidnapped in Chibok on April 14, 2014.

Goodluck Jonathan and his government remain paralyzed before the problem while Boko Haram intensifies its dastardly and heinous acts of destroying human life and property because its machine of terror is well oiled!!

These Boko Haram terrorists are using any means to perpetrate terror and mayhem. Hiding behind Islam may be their best option for now. After all, aren't they fighting to establish an Islamic state? But it is appalling for anybody to hide behind religion to destroy life the way these Boko Haram elements are doing things.

What next will this Boko Haram not choose to do in a country that seems to be headless? Too bad!